Blind Eyes
by Mavilicious
Summary: She thought that it was just a game but turns out that it was real. Running away from her responsibility, how will she live up her life this time?
1. Chapter 1

_"I really wish I could read your novels," she said after hearing the story her cousin read to her. She always admired him every since she opened up to him. She heard great stories from him every time he was with her. Most of them were actually the cases he solved._

 _"You don't want me to read them for you?" her cousin asked as she could also hear the frown he was making._

 _"It's not that. I really love it when you are reading them to me but, you're not always here," she sadly replied as she was hugging her knees to her chest while sitting on the chair._

 _"Then I'll come visit you more often," he told her as he was smiling softly. She felt very happy at first but remembered that he was a detective._

 _"But you have work, right?" she sadly asked which made the man chuckle at her words. She didn't want him to lose his job just because of her._

 _"Cous, I miss seeing colors. It's been years since I saw them," she tried looking up in the sky even though she was wearing her blindfold, "and even though I could use my sense of hearing to figure out what things look like, I-" she paused thinking if she should say those words. You see, she was blind and it took her a while to figure out how to take care of herself and do things that normal people could do even though she lost her sight. She could still remember how her brother helped her until she could take care of herself._

 _"I really want to see you," she finally blurted out. Her cousin was suddenly silent which made her regret saying those words. She knew that she should have kept those words to herself. His silence was worrying her so she faced him and asked, "Is something wrong?"_

 _She knew that he was looking down thinking of something._

 _"Do you trust me?" he asked. She wondered why he asked a question with an obvious answer. Even though she couldn't figure out what her cousin was thinking, she nodded in reply._

 _She could hear her cousin taking a deep breath as he began to remove the blindfold she was wearing which actually surprised her. She already understood that he wanted her to open her eyes but she knew that she still wouldn't be able to see anyting._

 _"C-cous?" she called out._

 _"Everything will be okay," he comforted her as he held her hands and looked at her with a smile. She really trusted him but she was also having second thoughts on opening her eyes. Come to think of it, he was always there for her when she was feeling very lonely._

 _With a slow nod, she slowly opened her eyes wondering if her vision would come back._

 _Colors. Light._

 _She suddenly closed her eyes because she wasn't used to see what she saw but, she knew what those were. She thought that she was just imagining things so once again, she opened her eyes._

 _When everything was clear, she saw a man smiling at her. She knew that what she was seeing was true but she still couldn't believe it. Tears were welling up because of happiness. She tried to hold it in but when she couldn't she stood up and went to him so that she could hug him._

 _It has been years since she was this happy._

* * *

"Tsubaki, are you okay?"

She finally snapped back to reality and faced the owner of the voice.

"Yes, Kunikida-san."

The man with blond hair sighed because he knew that she wasn't listening to what he was saying.

"You were dozing off again," he said as he gave her a look that was telling her to pay attention.

"Whoops."

"You really have to stop dozing off," he told her as he handed her a picture. She looked at it, trying to memorize every detail with a hum.

"This person has been missing for a while. Can you gather information about his whereabouts?" he asked her.

"Are there any dangerous or suspicious people involved?" she inquired so she would know if she had to put on a disguise. Kunikida looked at her black eyes and nodded.

Mikan bid farewell and took off while thinking, 'This will be interesting.'


	2. Chapter 2

The ravenette entered the room with papers at hand. You see, she found the woman but, unfortunately, she was killed and thrown in the river.

"I found her, Kunikida-san," she said as she handed her report to the yellow-eyed man. As he was skimming through the papers, Mikan began to wonder what happened to the case of the Man-Eating Tiger.

"You did well, Tsubaki," Kunikida stood up and placed on someone else's desk. Mikan knew whose it was which made her gulp.

"I'm sure he'll figure it out," he told her and went back to work.

RIIINNNG!

Mikan took out her phone and looked at the called ID and much to her dismay, it says

Osamu Dazai.

Click!

"Hello? Need help in anything, Dazai?" she asked and sighed waiting for an answer.

"Hey, Tsubaki-chan. Guess what happened to me?" the caller asked in a happy tune. Mikan was silent at first trying to think of the most possible answer for his question. She began thinking what can happen to a suicidal maniac. He sounded alive to her so it was impossible that he finally succeeded.

"Please tell me that it is your ghost that I am talking to," she said trying to get this over with by giving a ridiculous answer.

"I hope I am a ghost right now, but no."

"So what happened to you?" she queried while wondering if he would succeed someday with his strange ideas of suicide.

"You see, I got myself stuck in an oil drum so I need your help," he replied which the girl had a hard time processing what happened. She was trying to figure out how he did it. She never understood this man's thinking.

"Y-you got yourself stuck in an oil drum? H-how? Wait... What?" she asked while still trying to understand what happened.

"I'm dying. Please help me."

Then it hit her. The worst position to get stuck in an oil drum. The torture method that will slowly snap your waist into two.

"Isn't that what you really asked for? Why do you need my help?"

"Because what I did was torture and not suicide, Tsubaki-chan. I'm stuck and in pain here," Dazai whined as the girl suddenly tried her best not to laugh.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Congratulations, Dazai!" she finally lost it. She was laughing so hard after imagining the him in his current situation.

"Sorry, I can't help you there," she added as she sit on the chair trying to prevent herself from falling down just because of laughing too hard.

"But Tsubaki-cha-"

"Don't worry, Osamu. We'll give you a proper funeral and we will visit your grave," she cut him off and ended the call. Kunikida stood up and started walking to the door.

"Hmmm? Where are you going, Kunikida-san?" she wondered. The blond male stopped and faced her.

"Dazai wants to test the new recruit," he answered. This made Mikan understand why the Tanizaki siblings were preparing ropes and such. She really thought that those stuff would be for the crazy roleplay they would be having once they got home. She puffed her cheeks in order not to remind herself not to think something like that again.

"So who is the new recruit?"

"The wanted weretiger," he replied as her eyes went wide. She really couldn't believe that the weretiger would be joining the agency. You see, she really wanted to find and see the weretiger in person but unfortunately, she was assigned to a different case.

"Ahhhh~ I can't wait to meet him," she happily stated in which Kunikida began to wonder if the black-eyed girl was actually a kid stuck in a woman's body or if she was basically just a kid given the fact that she was rather short.

RIIINNNG

Kunikida shook his head with a sigh and left the room as Mikan answered her phone.

"Hello," she greeted to the caller. For the first few seconds, she was smiling. Her smile slowly dropped and her eyes widened as if the caller reminded that she forgot something.

"Yes, I will be there in a short while," she replied as she stood up and ended the call. She started walking towards the door when the Tanizaki siblings noticed her.

"Where are you going, Tsubaki-san?" the brother asked her as he was tying up her sister who was also looking at her. The young lady looked at them and smiled.

"Stuff came up and I have to attend to it," she answered and then continued walking towards the door while waving at them.

As she reached her destination, she went to the powder room and looked at the mirror. With a sigh, she started removing her contact lenses from her eyes. She never wanted to wear them, but she really had to so he wouldn't find her just in case he got a lead. The agency shouldn't know as well.

There was a knock on the door.

"Are you ready for the last lesson, Virginia?"

She placed the case of the contacts in her pocket and exited the powder room. With a small smile, she replied, "Yes, cousin."


	3. Chapter 3

_"Virginia, are you sure about the marriage?" a cousin of her asked as she was looking down on the floor trying to entertain herself with the patters on it._

 _"I am actually scared, cousin Neilson. I thought that I was just helping him propose to a girl he likes," she answered with a hint of doubt in her voice. To be honest, she loved her cousin but the proposal was too sudden._

 _Days ago, the cousin she admired the most proposed to her. She instantly said yes as she was thinking that he was just helping him practice the lines for a girl. In the past years, she had been helping her dear cousin to court the girl he liked. With full determination, she even went as far as retrieving a lock of hair from the girl he admired. She really wanted to make him happy because he was always there for her. Who would have though that he was slowly falling in love with her?_

 _"You're still too young and have a lot to learn," he explained in which she understood. Neilson's wife knelt down to her eye level and held her hands._

 _"Virginia, my dear, come with us. We will make sure that you will be properly educated. There are a lot of opportunities in the place we will be going," her stepsister told her softly. Virginia looked at the couple who were concerned of her well-being. She wanted to but then she remembered her him._

 _"But how about cousin?" she inquired knowing that if she come with them, she might not be able to see him again. She was having second thoughts about leaving because she knew that it would break his heart and she didn't want that to happen._

 _"I'm sure that he would understand that you are still too young. I will explain everything to him," Neilson stated with a comforting smile. With that, she agreed believing them._

* * *

The white ceiling looked very entertaining to her. She had been awake for an hour and she was just waiting for her alarm clock to ring.

RING! RING! RING!

She slowly stood up trying to remember what she dreamt of. As she walked to the bathroom, she wondered if the family that adopted her was okay. The family saved her life when she was still young. In order to have full custody over her, they replaced their dead daughter with her since the child's death wasn't registered yet. Though it was against their will, they had no other choice but to do it or the people from that town, where they found her, would kill her.

* * *

 _"It's dark and I want my mama," a young ravenette cried as the couple sat beside her._

 _"Hush now, little one. I am here," the woman whispered lovingly to her in order to comfort her. The couple had been trying to calm her down for an hour already. You see, she woke up in a dark room and couldn't see anything. She was very scared because of what happened before._

 _"But you're not my mama," she wailed and tried to struggle when the woman tried encasing her in an embrace. The man sadly looked at her and patted her head._

 _"It seems like she lost her sight, love," he sadly informed his wife. The wife looked at the child with tears in her eyes. She didn't want the child to suffer like this. She didn't want to believe believe her husband at first but now, she had to accept the fact that the child turned blind._

 _"After all, what she witnessed was too much for a child like her."_

* * *

As she closes the door of her apartment, she snapped back to reality and headed for the Agency's office while thinking,

'It has already been two years now. Why am I having these flashbacks just now?'


	4. Chapter 4

"So the culprit was the fiance of the girl?" she asked the man with bandaged arms.

"Yes," Dazai happily hummed as he sat down on his chair. Mikan's eyes twinkled upon knowing that THE GREAT RANPO solved the case easily. How she wished she was there to witness it. She really looked up to the man so much that everyone was aware of it.

"Really, you and your admiration for him," the brunet chuckled as he closed his eyes trying to remember something.

"Dazai-san," a voice called out. This made Dazai open his eyes and remember that Mikan was really looking forward to meet the new recruit.

"Oh, Tsubaki-san, this is Atsushi Nakajima," the man introduced the boy with light gray hair. Mikan smiled and looked at the boy who bowed and greeted her.

"Hi, I am Tsubaki Mikan. It is a pleasure to meet you," she greeted as she noticed the boy's features. The only thing that was screaming in her head was the word "cute" over and over upon looking at him. She had to suppress the squeal and she had to resist the urge to hug the white haired boy. She wasn't expecting for the weretiger to be that cute. What more if he transformed?

"It is nice to meet you, Tsubaki-sa-"

"Wait!" she interrupted with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Dark aura began surrounding her as he chuckled darkly which made the boy nervous. Dazai noticed this and just lightly shook his head while suppressing a chuckle.

"From now on, you shall call me senpai, Sushi," she stated as she laughed like she had evil intent. The others who were there just sighed at her childish antics while Atsushi was shocked at her own demands.

"Come on, Sushi. Say senpai," she told him as she began chanting the word "senpai" which made the boy with heterochromatic eyes really nervous.

"Tsu-Tsubaki-senpai," the weretiger said with fear evident in his voice. This made the ravenette stop doing what she was doing and felt silent. The whole agency was silent because no one was expecting to call her senpai by anyone.

Her face slowly turned red as she was still trying to suppress a squeal.

"Uwaaaah~ He called me senpai! Sushi called me senpai," she finally squealed and lost it. She smiled and tried to play the scene over and over in her head.

"Senpai! I am a senpai~"

The whole agency sweatdropped with her outburst.

"Tsubaki, I have an assignment for you," the yellow-haired man interrupted her thoughts and handed her the papers he was holding. Mikan happily took them and read the file as she still couldn't get over the fact that Atsushi called her senpai.

"Hmmm? Gather information about someone in the mafia?" she asked as she walked towards her desk to retrieve the blindfold and walking cane that she left. Kunikida nodded and looked at Atsushi.

"Tsubaki will be needing your assistance, Atsushi."

Upon hearing this, Mikan pouted because she felt like Kunikida didn't trust her.

"I can protect myself, Kunikida-san," she whined. She knew that as long as she was wearing her blindfold, she would be able to fight with nothing holding her back if the worst case scenario happen. Besides, she had her cane with her.

"Dazai, come with them as well," Kunikida stated much to Mikan's dismay. She was about to say something but the yellow-eyed man beat her to it.

"Remember that time?"

Mikan froze and puffed her cheeks while frowning.

"You have to remember that this is the mafia that we are talking about," he told her in which she sighed. She knew that he had a point. Though her ability could protect her, it still couldn't protect her from fear.

"Fine," she finally gave it and continues as she faced Dazai and Atsushi, "but you two should better knock me out if that thing happens."

Atsushi began to wonder what happened before.

"Meet me downstairs after five minutes. I have to prepare myself."


	5. Chapter 5

Mikan surely left a big impression to Atsushi. The boy was sure that he should always be cautious when she's around because of what she did earlier. He could already imagine the little lade forcing him to call her senpai again. To be honest, his heart sank when Kunikida told him to assist her, but when Dazai was also told to aid her, he felt a little relieved.

The man with the dark brown hair noticed this and chuckled which confused the boy with heterochromatic eyes.

"Mikan is actually a nice little lady once you get to know her well," Dazai noted as he looked at the sky. Atsushi was aware of this but he began to wonder who Mikan really was.

The sound of the cane hitting the floor called their attention. Atsushi began wondering why Mikan was wearing a blindfold. The ravenette turned to him and said, "It is a prevention for the worst case scenario."

"Worst case... Scenario?" he asked her.

* * *

 _Mikan was still new to the agency along with Dazai. The two of them were assigned to investigate a murder case. Having the unhealthy habit of daydreaming, the girl failed to realize that there would be blood in the crime scene._

 _As the arrived, Mikan snapped back to reality and started looking around for clues while Dazai was listening to the findings of the policemen. Everything was going smoothly until she saw the red liquid on the floor._

 _Her body began trembling. She wanted to tear her eyes away from the blood she was seeing in front of her but she couldn't. As she was still looking at the blood, old memories began playing in her head as if it was happening all over again._

 _She suddenly saw some images of her parents getting brutally killed._

 _She swore that she could still hear their screams of pain which was why she fell on her knees while still shaking._

 _She was also sure that she could hear the townspeople calling her parents "witch" and "demon" because of their abilities._

 _"Tsubaki-chan?"_

 _Yet the voice couldn't reach to her. Everyone, except for Dazai, were suddenly on their knees while covering their ears as she made an ear piercing scream. Dazai noticed that something triggered her to lose control of her ability._

 _The glass on the windows were starting to crack. If he wouldn't be able to stop her in time, everyone would turn deaf, pass out, and there would be a lot of casualties. He ran to her and noticed that she was looking at the blood. It was the blood that triggered her. He didn't waste any time and quickly covered her eyes with his hand._

 _There was a deafening silence in the whole area. Not long after, everyone heard a loud thud and saw someone fell out of the closet. The person looked dizzy and almost vomited._

 _Nobody was expecting that the culprit was still in the scene and she was simply hiding inside a closet. As the woman was arrested, Dazai sighed and looked at Mikan._

 _"Hey, Tsubaki-chan. You should have told me that you're afraid of blood," he stated as he removed his hand from her eyes. Mikan finally calmed down and shakily stood up while her eyes remained closed._

* * *

"I... Have nothing to defend myself with about that incident," the black-eyed girl sighed as they were walking around.

"But you are the reason the culprit showed herself," Dazai explained with a hum. Astushi finally understood why Mikan had a blindfold. They had to prevent her from seeing blood.

"We're here," Mikan stated as they all stopped. They were currently near an outpost of the mafia where the information she needed was there. Mikan hummed so she would know how many people were there.

"Well, that's a lot of people," she spoke which made Atsushi wonder how she was able to know there were a lot of people from far away. The ravenette sensed this and chuckled.

"When I was blind, I learned to rely on my sense of hearing instead of the sense of touch," she explained to him, "and also, my ability is currently enhancing my sensibility to sound."

There was silence between the three people for a few seconds. Mikan interrupted the silence by saying, "Please wait here, Osamu. We won't take that long."


	6. Chapter 6

"Eulalie Ulalume."

Atsushi noticed Mikan calmly walking towards the outpost even though she would be seen. He looked at Dazai who just gave him a reassuring nod. As he was walking, he realized that his footsteps weren't making any sound.

"Tsubaki-san," he quietly called out and realized that no voice actually came out. He repeated calling again and nothing happened. Mikan stopped and signaled for him to cover his ears in which he did.

She took a deep breath and began humming out loud.

"None of you would notice anything for an hour," she commended and then motioned for Atsushi to follow her as she began running inside the building.

"We have a whole hour to find the file and leave this place unnoticed," she explained to him as she opened the door to the room where she believed the files were.

"Are there any blood in the room, Sushi?" she asked as she sensed that there was liquid in the room. The weretiger looked around and didn't see anything so he answered with a no.

"In that case, I will be taking this side and you should take the other side," she told him in which he followed.

"Help me look for the files of the new recruits around two to four years ago," she added as she removed her blindfold.

Minutes have passed and Atsushi handed her the files he gathered and noticed a glimpse of purple in her eyes. He thought that it was just a figment of his imagination but when he was going to look at her eyes again to confirm what he saw, Mikan already turned around and started skimming through the papers while humming.

After a few moments, the girl froze and became silent. He noticed the sudden silence so he looked at her to see if she was okay. He saw her putting a small case in her pocket first before facing him.

"Let's put these files back and leave, Sushi," she told him while smiling. As they were putting back the files, Atsushi snuck a glance at her eyes.

Black eyes.

Yep, he was convinced that what he saw was a figment of his imagination.

Footsteps could be heard from afar.

This called the attention of the two. Mikan immediately put on her blindfold and told Atsushi to hide beside the door as she took her cane.

"Close the door once the person entered the room."

The footsteps went pass the room where they were in. They waited for five minutes before they left the place.

Once they met up with Dazai, who was busy flirting with a woman and asking her to do a double suicide with him, the two of them just sweatdropped.

"Dazai," Mikan called out. Dazai faced them and greeted them.

"Did you find what you needed, Tsubaki-chan?" he asked her with a smile. She nodded and the three of them headed back to the Agency.

"Umm... Tsubaki-san," Atsushi called out to her. She looked at the boy silently telling him to continue.

"Who is the person you were told to find information of?"

"Someone who suddenly left the country. A source said that the person was from the mafia," she calmly answered and added, "and the client needed to know his whereabouts."

"Hmm? Then why did you go to an outpost if you can just do your usual method of searching a missing person?" the brunet asked as they reached the Agency. The ravenette looked so serious and didn't face them.

"To really make sure that he was from the mafia."

* * *

 _"Virginia, once we get there, your name will be Tsubaki Mikan," her cousin Neilson instructed her in which, she nodded._

 _"Tsubaki Mikan," she repeated so that she wouldn't forget. Her cousin handed her a small case. As she opened it, she saw black contact lenses._

 _"No one should know who you really are."_

* * *

As she submitted the report to Kunikida, she frowned and glared at the floor.

"Are you okay, Tsubaki?" the yellow-haired male asked as he noticed her frown while he took the papers from her. She sighed and nodded but didn't change her facial expression. He knew something was up so he didn't ask more questions. Mikan bid farewell to them and quietly took off.

"Dazai, what did you do to piss her off like that?" Kunikida irritatedly asked.

"Hmm? I didn't do anything. She has been like that ever since they left the outpost."

* * *

 _"You did well," Neilson told her as he took his suitcase._

 _"You're leaving, cousin Neilson?" she asked him as she eyed the suitcase her cousin was holding. Her cousin nodded and patted her head._

 _"My wife needs me," he explained as he started walking away._

 _"Have a safe trip, cousin."_

 _He waved at her and said, "Remember, don't let anyone know who you really are."_

* * *

As she reached home, she quickly removed her contacts and looked at the ceiling.

"Why didn't you tell me that you joined the mafia?"

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Eulalie**  
-Mikan's sound ability  
-Drawbacks:  
If she uses her voice, her voice will be strained. Overusing this ability could make her mute.  
If she uses other things to create a sound, the thing (her cane for example) will slowly get destroyed.  
If she uses this ability to attack the nervous system directly from eardrums to implant a "command" into a target's brain, she has to implant a command immediately or if someone beat her to it, she will also be affected.

 **Eulalie Ulalume**  
-All sounds that she and until 2 people made will be silent.  
-Overusing this ability/Using this ability overtime could give her hallucinations. If the hallucinations went overtime, she will slowly fall into madness.

 **Eulalie Lenore**  
-Mikan can fly in a short while  
-Overuse leads to exhaustion

 **Eulalie Ligeia**  
-Mikan's ultimate form. She could move very fast and silent. Everything she could do with her ability will be enhanced.  
-If she uses this ultimate form, it slowly destroys her body if she uses it overtime.


	7. Chapter 7

Mikan didn't have enough sleep because of overthinking. She was trying to figure out why her cousin Neilson suddenly left the country. To be honest, she was actually pissed the moment she realized he joined the mafia just to help her move to Japan with a new identity.

As she looked at the mirror, she was thinking if she should comb her hair or not. She had to admit that she always move around when she sleeps. There was even this one time where she just woke up with her feet on the headrest of the bed.

Stifling a yawn, she stretched and took a bath while recalling the days she had just arrived in Yokohama.

* * *

 _"Ooof!" she cried in pain as she was sent to the wall by her cousin with a kick. It wasn't really a hard kick, but it was a surprising one as she wasn't really expecting to get hit._

 _"You don't have the will to kill, Virginia," her older cousin stated as she stood up with her cane supporting her. Her cousin watched her intently as she was trying to recover from the shock and asked, "Why choosing a normal cane than a sword disguising as such?"_

 _She was aware that swords would make her life easier, but she promised herself not to kill. Instead of choosing a sword to defend herself, she just settled with a metallic cane. Besides, she knew that she just had to practice hard so she could hit the vital regions. She just needed to learn and perfect aiming for the focal points._

 _"I have my reasons," she replied as she positioned herself, waiting for the right moment to strike. Her cousin sighed knowing that whatever he do, he could never convince to change her mind._

 _"You're making this harder on yourself," he told her as he began his attack. With a determined eyes, she suddenly found an opening._

 _"It's okay. I have the will to live and it is stronger than the will to kill."_

* * *

Mikan finished combing her hair and glanced at the small case beside her. She wasn't really comfortable wearing the contacts and there were a lot of times she had to ask for Yozano to heal her eyes because of them, but Neilson told her that she had to wear them. The ravenette looked at the time and decided to go to the agency as soon as possible…

...because today is the day she would be visiting the orphanage.

* * *

 _"Virginia Eliza Clemm, get back here this instant!" Neilson shouted as she ignored her cousin and walked away._

 _"You will be regretting this, Virginia," he told her as he dashed towards her. She heard his movements and side-stepped so that she could hit her cousin behind his knees with the cane she was holding._

 _"I don't know how you did it," she voiced out as she took steps back in order to defend herself, "I don't know how you changed it, but I know for sure that you are not to be trusted. I remember now, cousin Neilson, and I won't let you do as you please."_

 _Neilson clicked his tongue and slowly stood up. The violet-eyed girl realized what he was about to do so she immediately closed her eyes and activated her ability._

 _"Eulalie!"_

 _She then smashed her cane to the ground and the sound it created echoed deafeningly. She was expecting him to fall to his knees while covering his ears but instead, Neilson just smiled manically at her to her surprise. He took this advantage and ran towards her with a sword in his hand._

 _"Eulalie Lenore!"_

 _Virginia floated away from him and landed in the balcony in the second floor of his house. She knew that she had to escape but Neilson was blocking the gate. She knew she had to go home. She couldn't believe that her cousin tricked her…_

 _He tricked them…_

 _She had to go back to the man she loved._

 _It wasn't too late to go back._

 _"I know your weakness and movements. I have been observing your every move," her cousin indicated as he was in front of her. She had to make sure he couldn't touch her. She had to act quick and think of something. If she jump from the balcony, she knew that he would catch her. She must not let him make her forget… Again._

 _She knew she had to remember so she took a deep breathe and prepared for her attack._

 _It would really strain her voice and it might make her mute if she overdo it, but she didn't care anymore. It was her last resort. She had to stop him._

 _There was an ear-piercing scream and the glass windows of the house shattered. The light bulbs exploded and the vases broke into tiny pieces. Maybe this time, he would be affected by her ability. She could slowly feel exhaustion from what she was doing, but she had to keep going._

 _"That wouldn't work on me, little one," he uttered as he covered her mouth with his hand. That was when she realized that she was an idiot who forgot the existence of ear plugs. He was wearing them to protect himself from her ability. He knew that she relies on her ability at times like this. As he was holding her, she began struggling and stomped on his feet in order to break free._

 _"The only thing that you lack in order to surpass me is the will to kill. You rely on your emotions more than logic itself."_

 _He used his sword to lightly cut his arm in order for it to bleed while she wasn't looking as she was distancing herself away from him. As she faced him, she realized she made another mistake._

 _She saw the blood and the next thing she saw was darkness._

 _"Like I've said before, you are still too young and I won't allow the two of you to bring shame to the family."_

* * *

Mikan was about to enter the office, but she suddenly stopped as she had a strange flashback. She was confused because she was really sure that it never happened. Why would she defy her cousin if he meant well?

"Good morning, Tsubaki-san," Naomi greeted and called her attention as she decided to brush away what happened and entered the office.

"It should be Tsubaki-senpai for you, Nao-chan," Mikan voiced out as she childishly pouted while crossing her arms as she sat down on the couch. Naomi was about to say something but she was interrupted by Mikan.

"Call me senpai first before I'll listen with what you have to say," Mikan demanded as Naomi just stuck her tongue out and replied, "Tsubaki-san fits you better."

"No, no, no, it should be senpai!"

"Eh? You look too young to be one."

"It is a blessing from the heavens, Nao-chan."

Naomi just sighed and patted Mikan's head indicating that it won't really happen much to the other girl's dismay. Mikan just sighed and gave up knowing that she could never win an argument like that.

"Where's Kenji-kun?" Mikan asked as she looked around. They were going to go to the orphanage together since she couldn't bring the agency's donations alone. They regularly visit the orphanage every month to give the donations and spend time with the children.

"He's on his way, Tsubaki-san. He was just packing up the toys and books for the children," Naomi answered as she sat beside the other girl. Mikan took a deep breath and relaxed herself while wondering what just happened a few moments ago. The memory really disturbed her. Naomi noticed her distress and asked, "Did you actually sleep last night?"

Mikan was silent thinking on how she would answer the question. If she said she the truth that she wasn't able to sleep properly, then Naomi might get worried. She closed her eyes and replied, "I spent too much time reflecting about life."

"You reflect too much, Tsubaki-senpai."

Mikan just chuckled at Naomi's response. It actually took her a while to process everything she heard. The moment she managed to comprehend every word, she opened her eyes and looked at Naomi while suppressing a squeal.

"D-did you just call me s-senpai?" Mikan asked in surprised as the other girl just smiled in reply. Mikan knew that she should hold it in. She must not let it out but the force was too strong for her to stop.

"Uwaaaah~ You finally called me senpai~" She suddenly exclaimed in glee as she failed holding the squeals of excitement again. She placed her palms on her cheek trying to calm herself down.

"Senpai~ I'm a senpai~ That's right, you shall call me senpai~"


	8. Chapter 8

"Have fun you two," Naomi said and waved at Mikan and Kenji. The two waved back and started walking.

While they were on their way, Mikan was leaping for joy as she still couldn't get over the fact that she was called senpai by Naomi. It was the first time she called her that. She managed Naomi's brother to call her senpai, Atsushi and Kenji too. Kenji looked at her and couldn't help but asked why she was really cheerful today.

"Nao-chan called me senpai~ So happy~ So, so happy~ I finally made her call me senpai~" Mikan expressed herself happily and almost danced. This made Kenji chuckled at her antics. To be honest, this was completely normal for everyone in the agency when someone call her senpai. Everyone got used to it.

"City people are really interesting."

Mikan smiled and looked at Kenji. She was actually thankful that Kenji was with her because the orphanage she always go to was far away. The first time she met him, he was a complete mystery to her, but he soon became a close friend to her because of the long walks to the orphanage. She looked at the box he was carrying and realized that she really had to make it up to him.

After the friendly talks and catching up to each other's lives, they finally reached the orphanage. They decided to go to uncrowded areas so that they could get to the orphanage early. The first person they saw was the friend Mikan made the first time she got there. A girl in brown hair and amber eyes was about to enter the orphanage while holding a basket of strawberries but suddenly stopped when she noticed them.

"Tsutsu, we're heeeeeeere!" Mikan happily called out as they were approaching her. The girl smiled and responded with a short wave.

"Good afternoon, Tsukamoto-san," Kenji greeted the girl, known as Tsukamoto Fumi, with a smile. Tsukamoto politely bowed to them and greeted, "Good afternoon, Kenji-san and Tsubaki-san."

Mikan childishly and puffed her cheeks. She crossed her arms which called Tsukamoto's attention. As Tsukamoto was about to ask what was wrong, Mikan interrupted her.

"You have to call me senpai, Tsutsu. It's not that hard. Come on now. Senpai, senpai, senpai~"

The girl in ankle-length skirt and long-sleeved blouse suddenly turned red as Mikan repeatedly chanted the word 'senpai' to her. Mikan had always assumed that Tsukamoto's a few years younger than her, what with the youthful face that Tsukamoto still has and despite the height difference between her and Mikan. The brunette took a deep breath and made an attempt to call Mikan senpai.

"Ts...Tsu… Tsubaki-s…"

Kenji's eyes widened as he was surprised that Tsukamoto would finally call Mikan 'senpai'. Mikan smiled and excitedly said, "You're almost there, Tsutsu. Only two syllables left!"

"...Tsubaki-seeeeaaaaan!"

Mikan and Kenji sweatdropped knowing Tsukamoto couldn't really do it. They really thought that Tsukamoto would finally have a successful attempt. Well, given the fact that the shy girl easily gets flustered, they already knew she couldn't do it but Mikan was still hoping.

"...Tsubaki-san."

There was silence. It took Mikan a few seconds before she dramatically sighed and patted the other girl's shoulder. Never in her two years of stay here in Yokohama she managed to make Tsukamoto call her senpai. Tsukamoto would always get flustered then she would stutter and fail in her attempts. Mikan really appreciated her attempts though, but she often wonders if Tsukamoto understood that she was just joking around.

"Anyway, here are the donations from the agency," Mikan pointed at the box Kenji was carrying as she didn't want to worsen her friend's discomfort. The girl was too reserved and Mikan wanted her to open up a little more. Tsukamoto finally recovered from the embarrassment and led them inside the orphanage.

"Y-You can put the box here while I call the children," the brunette told them with a smile as Kenji placed the box down and Mika checked out the wall filled with the children's drawings. The blond then went beside her to see what she was looking at.

"These drawings are really nice," Kenji stated with a smile as Mikan noticed the drawing in the far right. A drawing of them riding a sleigh while wearing santa hats. She was really touched by the drawing. She was happy that the children really like the gifts they were bringing to them. As she was about to show Kenji the drawing, she felt someone hugging her from behind.

"Kenji-san! Tsubaki-san!" the children happily called out as they turned around and greeted them back. The children pulled them to the mini-farm behind the orphanage so that they could play with them.

"Kenji-san, play tag with us!" the children requested as little girls sat beside Mikan so that they could play dolls.

"Tsubaki-san, you have pretty hair," one of the little girls told her as she let the children braid her hair. She had a very soft spot towards children and she wanted to make them happy. She understood the feeling of being lonely because of not having parents.

She could still recall how she stubbornly believed that her real parents were still alive to the point that she was expecting the Clemm family to give up on her, but she was actually thankful that they were really patient towards her. Once her cousin Neilson allow her to go back to her family, she would really make sure to spend time with them.

* * *

 _"Virginia, my dear," a voice called out to her from the other side of the door. She ignored the voice and just continued crying alone in her dark room. Virginia wanted to be with her parents and still refused to believe that they were gone._

 _"Can I please come in, my love?"_

 _She didn't respond. She was hugging her knees as tears were falling down. She actually understood that she won't be seeing her real parents anymore especially when she saw them spurting out the crimson fluid of life and the townspeople beating and tying them up._

 _The door slowly opened and she was lifted to someone's lap. She could hear the lady humming a lullaby to comfort her and it was really calming. As the crying died down, she could hear the lady's stable heartbeat and it slowly made her sleepy._

 _"Whatever happens, we are also your family. Please never forget that, my child."_

* * *

Mikan's fingers were combing a little girl's hair in a comforting manner. The children eventually got tired and some fell asleep beside her. She softly smiled upon seeing their peaceful faces.

"A-ah! Tsubaki-san, you could have called for me when they were already tired," Tsukamoto shyly stated as she slowly took the little girl from the ravenette's arms making sure the little girl wouldn't wake up. Mikan just chuckled as she helped her friend bringing the children to bed.

"The children always look forward to see the two of you," Tsukamoto said softly as she placed the blanket on the last kid she put to bed. Mikan looked at her and noticed the soft smile on her face.

"I know the struggles of raising lots of children at the same time. There are times that children don't get enough affection so they demand attention," Mikan replied as they went to the dining area and she continued while taking a seat, "Children are gifts that was given to us by the heavens and they needed people to take care of them. They are the future anyway."

Tsukamoto placed the freshly picked strawberries on the table and offered it to the black-eyed girl. Mikan's eyes lit up and tasted one.

"These strawberries are delicious, Tsutsu," she voiced out in amazement. She took another bite and told her friend, "Sometimes I wonder why you remain single. You are really pretty and you are good with children."

Tsukamoto blushed hard and Mikan just sweatdropped wondering if she said something wrong. The amber-eyed girl was a mystery to her even though she had been friends with her for two years now. She watched Tsukamoto fidgeting and looking away as if she wanted to tell her something.

"You're seeing someone, aren't you?" Mikan blankly asked which made her friend's face redder. Silence occurred between the two and Mikan was just staring at Tsukamoto because she was observing her movements to see if she was right.

"A-ah… Y-yes," Tsukamoto stuttered and Mikan nodded as she leaned back and looked at the ceiling because she knew how uncomfortable it was when someone was looking at you while you were blushing hard.

"I won't going to ask who it is, but I just want to hear how you will describe him," she spoke with curiosity as she slowly found the ceiling really entertaining to look at. She couldn't help but notice the food stain on the ceiling. Probably, there was a food fight that happened and no one noticed that stain.

Mikan held onto the ring that was made into a necklace. She had been keeping it for a while now. She told herself that the reason she was keeping it was the monetary value and she could just sell it if she needed the money, but she really couldn't bring herself to do it. She, then, began to wonder how was that man, who gave her the ring, doing back where she came from. Was he doing well? Was he happy? Did he noticed her leave? How was he and his wife? Her cousin Neilson told her that he attended the man's wedding. Yeah, sure, it broke her heart because she loved him but she was also happy that he was being loved by someone who deserved him better than her.

At least when she comes back, she would get to see him smiling in the arms of someone who loved him like she did.

"There is this boy I really cherish," Tsukamoto started as Mikan looked at her silently telling her that she was listening.

"He's a very good friend of mine. On our first meeting, I was scared of him and we eventually hated each other," the brunette softly spoke as she leaned on her elbows. Mikan took note of Tsukamoto's gaze and noticed that familiar look of being in love.

"But when we were forced to work together, I found out that he's not that mean. He saved my life on multiple occassions and he showed me the true meaning of friendship." Tsukamoto unwarily held the silver necklace she was wearing and continued, "He's the one who brought me here after I almost went insane, too. I really owe him my life and I'd like to repay him someday."

Mikan couldn't help but smile. Tsukamoto reminded her of herself when she was still Virginia. That dreamy look Tsukamoto was showing was also what she was showing when she was talking about the man she loved before.

"A-ah! I'm so sorry you had to hear my rambling, Tsubaki-san," Tsukamoto nervously said as she apologetically bowed while Mikn just chuckled in reply.

"No need to apologize," Mikan replied while leaning her head on the palm of her hand as if she was daydreaming and continued, "It has been a while since I hear such sweet words of a person in love."

"Have you ever been in love, Tsubaki-san?"

Mikan dreamily sighed and answered, "I have, but I was too afraid so I ran away. The moment I got here, I heard that he was wed to someone else."

Tsukamoto went silent and just watched Mikan's dreamy look turned into a gloomy one. Mikan noticed this and faked a chuckle in order to lighten up the atmosphere and said, "That boy better treat you right because if he breaks your heart, I will have to make him pay for it. I am not one who will let a friend get hurt especially when it comes to relationships."

"Tsukamoto-san, I already harvested all of the ripe strawberries," Kenji entered the room and brought the baskets. Tsukamoto suddenly get all flustered once again and instead of speaking, she made hand signals in which made Kenji confused.

"She said that you didn't have to do that because you already did so much help to the orphanage," Mikan spoke which made Kenji looked at her silently asking how she knew. She just answered with, "I learned how to read and spell because my brother taught me sign language when I was little. With it, I managed to translate braille into latin alphabet too."

Kenji understood then faced Tsukamoto again. He just smiled and said, "It is not a big deal, Tsukamoto-san. In fact, it is actually the least I could do to help."

After the friendly chats, Mikan and Kenji bid farewell to Tsukamoto. Tsukamoto told them to bring a basket of strawberries as the orphanage's form of saying thanks to the agency.

As they were walking back, Mikan stopped and faced the blond.

"Kenji-san," she called out. She really needed to make it up to him because he really did a lot to the orphanage.

"Hmm?"

"Let's go eat wherever you want. My treat."


	9. Chapter 9

"TSUBAKI MIKAN!"

She knew that angry voice all too well. It was one of the voices she told herself to never forget. A voice that meant death is near. She gulped and slowly turned around while thinking of a way to escape. She was deciding if she should use her cane for her ability, but the cane was already weakened and might get destroyed if she uses it one more time. She could use her voice but she was sure that she would overuse it.

She had to think fast. She had to get away. The person in front of her was strong. Really strong. Fighting Akutagawa meant facing death. To her, he literally looked a death: a sickly pale man dressed in black.

She was just posting a wanted poster on the wall when he appeared. She just wanted to do her job and find a girl named Yamazaki Tomie, but this personification of death always appear out of nowhere and attack her.

Sure, Dazai warned her about this guy but she wasn't really expecting Akutagawa to always appear out of nowhere as if he was a vengeful ghost haunting her.

"Umm… Hi," she nervously greeted while still figuring out how she could run away because she was cornered. Really, can't she just post these wanted posters in peace?

Then it hit her, she can use the wanted posters for her ability. She slowly reached for the last poster and said, "You are really strong, but I really want to live longer."

She ripped the poster to stun him for a bit then ran for her life. She had to admit, she did a pretty good job at escaping, but she was still mentally panicking because she was sure that he was on her tail. After all, what she did just gave her a seven-second head start.

* * *

 _"Mikan-chan, someone requested if you could find a certain girl," Dazai told her as he handed her a picture. The black-eyed girl looked at it and memorized every detail._

 _"Her name is Yamazaki Tomie," the dark-haired man stated," She is a part of the mafia."_

 _There was silence in the office. Apparently, there were only four people in the room: Dazai, Haruno, Ranpo, and her. Haruno was just doing her work on her computer while Ranpo looked at them as if he knew something was up._

 _"What would be the reason of her being wanted?" she asked as she eyed her friend suspiciously. This was the first time Dazai seriously asked her to look for someone. He usually asks for her help because of his failed attempts of suicide but he never asked her for help when it comes to a case._

 _The man who, in her opinion, has an unusual obsession of slowly mummifying himself for fashion dramatically sighed and answered, "She stole a special flour from a pastry shop and the shop went bankrupt for not being able to produce high quality melon bread without that flour."_

 _Silence. The ravenette just gave him a look saying she wouldn't buy it. She might have believed it if Dazai told her this 2 years ago. Seriously, she would really believe him 2 years ago with all that acting he was doing right in front of her. She learned the hard way not to fall for his antics._

 _"You know," she blankly stated as she stood up from her seat and continued, "You could've just told me that it's confidential."_

* * *

Mikan managed to lose Akutagawa in a crowded area. She couldn't believe that it had been 3 months since this case was handed to her by Dazai. She was actually thankful that Dazai told her that the client was in no rush and she should prioritize the other cases she would be having. It almost seemed like the suicidal friend of hers was the client. What if he really was the client?

She reached an alleyway and immediately leaned on the wall to calm herself down and catch her breath. Running away from Akutagawa was really difficult. Sure, her cousin Neilson trained her and all but that guy was really something. He was sickly but he almost killed her numerous times. What more if he wasn't sick?

To be honest, she was thankful that it was only Akutagawa who was chasing her since Dazai told her to watch out for two people. If she meets the other one, she was really sure she would instantly die because she knew she would randomly blurt out something.

* * *

 _"Dazai, I have a question," she said as she was just looking at the picture of a person named Chuuya Nakahara. She already memorized the face of the first person so she focused on the second one more._

 _"This girl with the hat, is she always wearing one?" she asked while silently commenting that Chuuya's hair was perfect. She simply adored the perfection she was seeing in the picture. Well, not really as perfect as that man she left back in her home._

 _As she was simply gawking at Chuuya's picture, she failed to notice Dazai's eyes widening in disbelief._

 _She snapped back to reality the moment she heard her friend snickering so she looked at him in confusion._

 _"Eh? What's the matter?" she asked as she puffed her cheeks in irritation the moment the snickering went louder. She knew she didn't say anything funny which was why she began to wonder what was making him laugh._

 _"Really, is it wrong to find girls pretty?"_

 _With that, Dazai burst out laughter and almost died because of it._

* * *

Yep, she was really sure she would really die the moment she sees Chuuya. She was sure she would blurt out "Pretty girl" without even realizing it. That memory taught her that the world is full of mysteries just because she mistook a guy for a girl and she still couldn't believe that Chuuya was a guy.

She heard coughing behind her and she paled. She was really sure she managed to lose him but how in the world did he find her? She closed her eyes to listen. Akutagawa was a few meters away from her and wasn't facing her. She was sure that he followed her but also, hoping that he just coincidentally went to the same alleyway she went to and still didn't notice her. She knew she was having false hope. She really had to use her voice this time and risk it.

She sensed the incoming attack and dodged it. As she was about to open her eyes, she sensed another set of attacks from death's coat and barely dodged them. She then screamed and faced him. She didn't really want to use this ability as it would really give a toll on her body the longer her ability is activated. For the seventh time in her life, she told herself to make the command last for an hour. Once she gets home, she promises herself to do nothing but sleep.

"Don't chase me for an hour," she commanded, but knowing his strength, she was sure that it would be less than an hour because he would be able to fight it. She told herself that as long as the command was active for at least, ten minutes, she would be safe. She hoped that the command would last long enough for her to get back to the agency safely.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

The Yamazaki Tomie that was mentioned here was actually this OC of my friend: s/12179301/1/The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Dirty

Mikan once thought of battling Akutagawa once instead of listening to Dazai but she almost got killed the first time they met. It actually ended up with her using her voice and after she got away, she couldn't speak for a week. She knew she wasn't that strong but she wanted to prove herself that was why she learned the hard way. Now, she makes sure to run away whenever she senses him.

Since she got hysteria blindness when she was a kid, she has a hard time using her eyes in observing. She always relies on her hearing because she basically got used to it. There were actually occasions where she was looking for a missing item without knowing that it was actually in front of her unless she uses her hearing.

Hope you like it.


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